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The greenhouse effect refers to the process wherein the surface of the Earth is heated to the troposphere. The phenomenon occurs due to the higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other such gases. The surface of the Earth is heated by the sunlight, therefore the energy that is reflected back into the space is in the form of infrared radiation. In the case of the greenhouse effect, the concentrated gases absorb the energy and therefore lead to an increase in the global temperature. Hence, in this way, the greenhouse effect and global warming are related to each other.
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Key Terms: Greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, global warming, environment, carbon dioxide, sunlight, methane, Gas, Energy, Radiation, troposphere, phenomenon, water, Earth
What is Greenhouse Effect?
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A greenhouse basically refers to a house that is made of glass and that is used to grow plants. The warm radiations of the sun warm the air and the plants that are inside the greenhouse. The heat that is trapped inside warms the greenhouse and cannot escape it. This warmth is necessary for the growth of plants.
- Similarly, the atmosphere of the Earth is heated during the day by the sun.
- At night, when the surface cools down, heat is radiated back into the atmosphere.
- During this process, the greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat.
- Hence, the surface of the Earth becomes warmer which makes the survival of living beings on the planet possible.
- However, the temperature of the Earth has considerably increased due to the increased level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which leads to some drastic changes and effects in our atmosphere.
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| Topics Related to Greenhouse Effect | ||
|---|---|---|
| Difference between Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases | Conservation of Natural Resources | Natural Resources |
| Pollution | Oxygen Cycle | Role of atmosphere in climate control |
Greenhouse gases
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Greenhouse gases are gases that absorb infrared radiation to create a greenhouse effect. For example., carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons. The major contributors to greenhouse gases are automobiles, factories, deforestation, etc.
- The increased number of automobiles and factories release these harmful gases into the atmosphere.
- The greenhouse gases trap the radiations and prevent them from escaping the Earth.
- This increases the temperature of the surface of the Earth and leads to global warming.
Causes of Greenhouse Effect
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The major causes of global warming by the greenhouse effect are as follows -
Burning of Fossil Fuels: Fossil fuels play an important role in our daily lives. They are widely used for transportation purposes and to produce electricity.
- The burning of fossil fuels releases a harmful gas known as carbon dioxide.
- With an increase in population, the use of fossil fuels has also increased.
- This has led to an increase in the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Farming: One of the major contributors to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere is the use of nitrous oxide in fertilizers.
Deforestation: Plants and trees in the atmosphere take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen in the atmosphere.
- Due to the practice of deforestation or cutting down trees, there is a significant increase in the release of greenhouse gases.
- This leads to an increase in the Earth’s temperature.
Industrial Waste and Landfills: Industries and factories release harmful gases that are released into the atmosphere. Landfills also release carbon dioxide and methane which adds to the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
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Effects of Greenhouse Effect
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The main effects of an increase in greenhouse gases are as follows:
Global Warming: Global Warming refers to the phenomenon that involves a gradual increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere of the Earth.
- The main cause of global warming is the increased volumes of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
- These greenhouse gases are released by the burning of fossil fuels, release from industries, emissions from vehicles, and other human activities.
Smog and Air Pollution: Smog is formed from a combination of smoke and fog. Smog is released into the atmosphere both by natural as well as man-made causes.
- Smog is generally formed due to the accumulation of a high volume of greenhouse gases including sulfur oxides and nitrogen.
- Smog is majorly caused by industrial and automobile emissions, natural forest fires, agricultural fires, and the reaction of the chemicals among themselves naturally.
Acidification of Water Bodies: An increase in the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has transformed most of the water bodies acidic all around the world.
- When the greenhouse gases mix with the rainwater, it changes it into acid rain.
- One of the effects of acid rain includes the acidification of the water bodies.
- The rainwater also carries various contaminants along with it which fall into the streams, rivers, and lakes, thereby leading to acidification of the water bodies.
Depletion of Ozone Layer: The ozone layer protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiations of the sun.
- The ozone layer is found in the upper regions of the stratosphere.
- The depletion of the ozone layer leads to the entry of harmful ultraviolet rays to the surface of the Earth.
- This can lead to skin cancer and can also contribute to changing the climate drastically.
- The major cause of depletion of the ozone layer is the accumulation of natural greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons.
Runaway Greenhouse Effect
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The phenomenon of the greenhouse effect occurs when the planet absorbs more radiation than it releases back. Therefore, the heat that is lost from the surface of the Earth is less and therefore the temperature of the planet keeps on increasing. It is believed by scientists that the runaway greenhouse effect phenomenon took place on Venus about billions of years ago. The phenomenon takes place in the following manner -
- The runaway greenhouse effect takes place when the temperature of any planet rises to a level of the boiling point of water.
- As a result of this, the water present in the oceans gets converted into water vapor that traps the heat coming from the sun.
- It further increases the temperature of the planet and accelerates the greenhouse effect. It is known as the “positive feedback loop”.
Runaway greenhouse effect
Another scenario that leads to the greenhouse effect is if the temperature rise reaches such a high level that chemical reactions start to occur.
- These chemical reactions then drive the carbon dioxide from the rocks into the atmosphere.
- This heats the surface of the planet which further accelerates the transfer of carbon dioxide from the rocks into the atmosphere.
- This leads to the runaway greenhouse effect.
Therefore, we can say that an increase in the greenhouse effect leads to a runaway greenhouse effect that raises the temperature of a planet to such an extent that no life can exist on it.
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Things to Remember
- The Greenhouse Effect is the increase in the surface temperature of Earth due to the trapping of atmospheric heat.
- The greenhouse effect occurs due to high concentrations of carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and other such gases in the atmosphere.
- The other causes of the greenhouse effect include deforestation, an increase in population, and industrial waste.
- Global Warming, extreme weather conditions, and a rise in sea levels are the results of the greenhouse effect.
- The runaway greenhouse effect takes place when a planet’s temperature rises to a level that makes the survival of living beings impossible.
Sample Questions
Ques. What is the mechanism of the greenhouse effect? (5 marks)
Ans. The mechanism of the greenhouse effect is as follows -
- The sun releases infrared, ultraviolet, and visible radiation which gets received by the Earth.
- The solar energy that is received is then redirected back to space by the clouds and the atmosphere.
- Some of the solar energy also gets absorbed by the clouds and the atmosphere.
- The remaining energy is absorbed by the surface of the Earth to keep it warm.
- This energy is then transformed into the form of heat.
- Once the heat is absorbed by the Earth’s surface, it gets trapped in the atmosphere, adding to the increase in the temperature.
- This phenomenon is known as the Greenhouse effect.
Therefore, if the amount of greenhouse gases that are present in the atmosphere is high then the temperature of the Earth will keep getting higher. Some of the effects of the greenhouse effect are global warming, the rise in sea levels, etc.
Ques. What are greenhouse gases? (3 marks)
Ans. The gases that lead to the trapping of heat in the atmosphere are known as greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include –
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Nitrous oxide (NO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Fluorinated gases like halons, chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, nitrogen trifluoride, sulphur hexafluoride, etc.
Ques. Explain a case study of the harmful effect of greenhouse gases? (2 marks)
Ans. Taj Mahal in India is one of the 7 wonders. It used to be known for its white beauty. However, due to air pollution, it has now started to transform into a yellowish-brown color.
- This is due to the deposition of carbon and dust containing particles that are released on the burning of garbage, biomass, and fossil fuels.
- Oxygen when combined with sulpur dioxide and moisture corrodes the marble leading to “marble cancer”.
Ques. What are the differences between the greenhouse effect and global warming? (5 marks)
Ans. The differences between the greenhouse effect and global warming are as follows -
| Greenhouse Effect | Global Warming |
|---|---|
| Greenhouse Effect refers to the increase in the temperature of Earth due to the blocking of escape of the heat into the space by the greenhouse gases. | Global Warming is the phenomenon that occurs when the Earth is overheated by fossil fuels and increases in greenhouse gases. |
| The atmosphere retains heat as a result of greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect. | It leads to an increase in the average annual temperature globally |
| It is caused by the atmospheric accumulation of gases (methane, carbon dioxide, etc) containing some heat emitted by the surface of the earth. | It is caused by an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere majorly caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, etc. |
Ques. Give an example of the greenhouse effect. (5 marks)
Ans. An example of the greenhouse effect from everyday life is the warming of the interior of a car when the vehicle is left out in the sun.
- The rays of the sun enter inside through the window of the car.
- Some of the heat received from the sun is absorbed by the floor mats, carpeting, the dashboard, and the seats of the car.
- When the objects release this heat, it does not get out through the windows.
- Some of it is reflected back inside the car. This is because the heat that is radiated by the seats is of a different wavelength than the sunlight that entered through the windows in the first place, therefore the glass of the window would not let that much wavelength pass through it.
- Hence, energy is going inside the car but the energy that is coming out is comparatively less.
- Hence, there is a gradual increase in the temperature inside the car.
Ques. Why is Carbon Dioxide known as a greenhouse gas? (3 marks)
Ans. The molecules of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere absorb infrared energy of long wavelengths in the form of heat from the Earth. The molecules then radiate some of the energy back to the atmosphere. This effectively leads to the trapping of heat around the Earth.
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the various greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere.
- Like the glass of a greenhouse, these gases let the visible light from the Sun pass through the atmosphere.
- However, they absorb long-wavelength infrared energy from the Earth to keep the atmosphere warm.
Ques. How can one reduce or prevent the greenhouse effect? (5 marks)
Ans. Some of the ways to reduce the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere are to reduce the release of greenhouse gases. This can be done by -
- Use of solar light.
- Using renewable sources of energy.
- Reducing or controlling harmful industrial emissions.
- Afforestation or planting of more and more trees.
- Conservation of energy and avoiding its waste.
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